Bhavna… Pure Feelings from the Heart
Bhavna is a Hindi word. It’s a deep inner feeling of connection and sentiment, an expression of love and an innate feeling. Bhavna relates to the quality of faith, but not always in a religious sense. Sometimes we refer to this as having faithful feelings, so that those feelings, not to be confused with emotions, come from the heart and not from the logic of our head and mind. Bhavna is an instinctual and natural feeling, a response that comes from deep within, totally unfiltered and unprocessed by the ego games of the mind. In its essence it is a feeling that comes from the simplicity of our “being-ness” and love.
We could say that bhavna, like blessings and gratitude, are on that same sort of higher vibrational frequency. Definitely we can feel when someone is doing something from the heart, the whole energetic exchange carries a higher vibrational frequency. In a way we could say that the energy frequency of bhavna is clear and clean, there is a purity within it.
What do you call that feeling when someone goes out of their way to do something extra kind for you? Maybe they bring you roses for no reason at all, or give up their seat for your comfort? And not because you are elderly! Or when someone wants you to be present at their child’s naming ceremony for no other reason than they love your energy and presence. At the deepest level we are feeling beings and so intuitively we will value the presence of those souls who naturally express this peaceful energy vibration.
We might call it simply the virtues of love, respect and kindness, but in India, it is an attitude of mind which is known as bhavna. Actually, it is difficult to translate this word into English and it can not be done with just one word, but with a few. Perhaps, the closest we can come to a definition is as a form of loving devotional feelings. Feelings of kindness and benevolence. Purity and pure intention are implicit in the word itself because those feelings come from the heart without any hidden agenda.
“Happiness mainly comes from our own attitude,
rather than from external factors.”
Dalai Lama
And it’s an attitude of mind, because the act is done spontaneously… and from the heart, not weighed over again and again. Not calculated and measured. The intention buried below it is to simply give happiness to others… to make others feel good… this is an act of selfless service…
You can have bhavna in something or for someone. When it is bhavna for something, it can form part of a system of religious beliefs, rituals and practices. In other words, you do it because you believe in it from your heart and not your head. So, for example, my mother always used to throw some mung lentils to the birds in the morning before eating herself… that was her bhavna for the animal kingdom. She had that deep feeling of love and connection for Nature. Really, it is an unconscious awareness and giving back, because Mother Nature sustains us, so we too want to help to sustain those creatures of Nature too. This expression of bhavna is totally without any ulterior motives. On the other hand when we have bhavna for someone we have faith and trust. We believe their every word, like a Guru or a parent.
In the western cultures we have lost this sense of connection to Nature and the world, but slowly the wheel is turning and many are spiritually awakening. They are remembering that we are not separate from Nature, others and the world, but that we live in connectivity with everything. The ancient tribal cultures of the past, and those indigenous communities that still exist today, have this awareness and they understand that humankind can own nothing in this world and that we have to work in co-operation with Nature to survive. These souls have a clear realization and deep connection with our planet, they know that we are simply caretakers for this world, and we need to take less and care more.
“The desire to know your own soul will end all other desires.”
Rumi
There are many acts that we can do away with and nobody would blink an eye; their absence would go unnoticed in the world. However, remember, those small acts of kindness are the ones that really touch the heart. When we go that extra mile, then we can really brighten up someone’s day.
Bhavna transcends the limitations of the material world because we make a heart to heart connection. Now is the time to come back into our natural state of bhavna, and to live from the heart with simplicity and love. Maybe this is why those ancient lands carry a vibration that attracts us to them, because the energy of bhavna is still present there in those countries, in such a way that the energy vibrations feel transcendent.
It’s Time… to live with love and pure joy, a place of natural giving… from bhavna.
“Make your choices based on love, not fear.”
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
© ‘It’s Time…’ by Aruna Ladva, BK Publications London, UK